STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The 911 system will now recognize "Snake Hill" as Richmond Hill Road after some confusion arose three months back when an operator could not find the location when some one called to report an accident.

In an emergency when seconds can mean the difference between life and death, especially on a stretch of road where treacherous conditions cause accidents almost daily, at least first responders will be able to quickly find the scene thanks to the efforts of City Councilman Jim Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn).

A concerned resident e-mailed Oddo after he stopped to assist the teenage driver who drove his Jeep Wrangler over an embankment and fell about 100 feet off of "Snake Hill" in November. The resident pointed out the confusion on the part of the 911 operator, who could not locate "Snake Hill" since the road is officially marked as Richmond Hill.

Upon receiving the e-mail, Oddo wrote to the commissioners of the NYPD and FDNY the next day asking that 911 operators be made aware of the colloquialism, since the "Snake Hill" portion of Richmond Hill Road is so accident prone.

"Every day that goes by that there is not a tragedy on that road is a minor miracle," Oddo said.

A little more than a month later Police Commissioner Ray Kelly responded in a letter to Oddo’s request.

"In order to help avoid future occurrences of miscommunication, the police department dispatch system has been modified to accept Snake Hill as a location of occurrence," Kelly wrote.

Oddo expressed his appreciation for the response, but emphasized that the ultimate goal is to improve the dangerous conditions on that "potentially lethal" road.

"The heart of the matter is changing Snake Hill," Oddo said. "We have to change that road."